Aurora is a suburban community geographically located on the east side of the Denver metropolitan area. Aurora is situated in portions of Adams, Arapahoe, and Douglas Counties. The overall goals of the Aurora Consolidated Plan are to strengthen public/private partnerships and intergovernmental cooperation, improve housing conditions and affordability, and to expand economic opportunity for Aurora's residents.

Action Plan

The city will receive more than $2 million in HOME and Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funds and an estimate $365,000 in program funds in 1995. The city will use the funds to perform various activities including provision of low-interest loans to multifamily rental housing owners citywide, renovation of community centers, and public facility and infrastructure improvements.

Citizen Participation

The city mailed over 200 information flyers to citizens, public agencies, past CDBG recipients, nonprofits, neighborhood organizations, and other interested parties for input. The city published a Public Notice in a local newspaper distributed citywide, and made the plan available for review at 5 public locations citywide. Aurora provided technical assistance to special populations about the plan. The city held 2 Public Hearings, four and a half months apart, to receive citizen comment. The city held a thirty day Public Comment Period. The city held special interest input meetings for citizens, nonprofit organizations, and community leaders regarding AIDS, the elderly, group home populations such as the developmentally disabled and mentally impaired, the homeless, public housing, and housing assistance for renters and prospective first-time homeowners.

The city currently contains 12 percent of the total metropolitan area population and continues to grow in population size and square miles. Aurora's population increased 40 percent between 1980 and 1990 from 158,588 to 222,103. Of the 89,132 households it contains, 28 percent consist of one person households and 3 percent consist of six or more persons. Of the sixty census tracts in Aurora, thirteen consist of fifty-one percent or more of the population with incomes at 80 percent or less of the median income. Eight of these 13 low-income census tracts have minority concentrations greater than twenty percent. Overall, the city has a 17.6 percent minority population. About 80 percent of Aurora's residents are white; 11 percent are African American, and over 6 percent are Hispanic.

Conditions

Aurora's population has grown more than 28 percent since 1980, and in 1990 comprised 12 percent of the total Denver metropolitan area population. The city's population is projected to continue growing for at least the remainder of the decade. In-migration to Colorado from other States continues to increase Aurora's population and impact local housing resources.

About 11 percent of the city's developed land and 15 percent of its undeveloped land is zoned for multifamily housing. Forty-seven percent of developed land and 16 percent of undeveloped land is zoned for single-family housing.

Housing Needs

There are three population groups with special housing needs. The first is the category of persons with housing needs based upon household income. The second category of persons with housing needs is the special population groups which include the elderly, persons with mental illness, substance abusers, people who are victims of physical abuse or domestic violence, the developmentally disabled, and persons with AIDS. The final category of persons with housing needs is the homeless.

Housing Market Conditions

In 1994 the city commissioned the Genesis Marketing Group to assess and analyze the housing market. The following are some of the key observations of the Group's report:

• Housing in the Denver metropolitan area remains affordable compared to other larger United States' cities. Although housing values are moving up rapidly, Denver area home prices remain favorable as compared to other cities of similar size in the country.
• Second quarter 1994 new-housing sales in the metropolitan area and Aurora were down more than 30 percent from first quarter 1994 and down 10 percent from second quarter 1993 sales activity.
• Land, legislation, and labor continued to impact housing prices during 1994. Rising land prices, escalating jurisdictional fees, and continued labor shortages contributed to rising home prices.

Based upon projected population increases and the current supply of housing, the Group's report estimates a need for about 928 more homes annually, both new and resale. Of these, 70 percent will be needed for homeowners and 30 percent for renters.

The Aurora South Central market area is the most active resale area, according to the report. Many of new home construction took place there during the early to mid-1980s, especially among single-family detached homes and condominiums. Of all the market areas, the south suburban area does not possess affordable housing for very low- and low-income households. Other markets in Aurora, however, do have resale inventory that is below average resale price. Single-family homes sold for an average of $122,588 and condos and townhomes for $73,505 in 1994. During the same year average rents varied from $407 to $615 for a two-bedroom rental unit in various Aurora market areas.

Apartment construction slowed dramatically in recent years, partly because construction financing is scarce and rental rates are considered too low. Many lenders were cautious about making multifamily construction loans, given the number of bad loans financed in the 1980s. But in 1993, rents rose for the 13th consecutive quarter and average vacancy rates dropped to 4 percent–the lowest since 1982—triggering a surge in new construction that has since slowed again.

Affordable Housing Needs

The very low- and low-income households, those earning less than 80 percent of the median income, represent 38 percent of the population in Aurora. The 1994 median income for a family of four in the Denver metropolitan area was $48,600 and remains the same for 1995.

The supply of moderately priced housing is greater in Aurora than in the rest of the Denver metropolitan area. About 50 percent of Aurora homes are in the $50,000 to $79,000 range and 28 percent in the $80,000 to $99,999 range.

The housing cost burden for low-income renters is high. Seventy-one percent of very low- income and 46 percent of low-income elderly renters spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing. Other than the elderly, 68 percent of very low-income households (0-50 percent of MFI), 41 percent of low-income (51-80 percent of MFI), and 32 percent of moderate income households (81-95 percent of MFI) spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing.

Program needs for this population include loans for property improvement. In addition to homeownership programs, this population has rental assistance needs. Public housing programs have over 1,200 persons on their waiting list for such programs, especially for Section 8 certificates and vouchers.

Homeless Needs

Statistics recently compiled from interviews with several homeless service providers in the Denver area revealed that there were 14,958 homeless persons in the area, 49 percent of whom were members of homeless families. In addition, 46 percent were single adults, and 5 percent were unaccompanied youth. Small numbers of each group were served by transitional housing and the vast majority were considered to be unsheltered. Of the homeless in this count, almost 17 percent are considered to be mentally ill and almost 11 percent are victims of domestic violence.

Although there are several homeless service providers in the Denver area, only two are located in Aurora. The Comitis Crisis Center assists families, individuals, and youth with emergency housing, counseling services, runaway prevention, and a 24-hour hotline. The Gateway Battered Women's Shelter serves women and children who are victims of domestic abuse with housing, counseling, and educational training.

Public and Assisted Housing Needs

The Aurora Housing Authority (AHA) administers 201 Public Housing units. Of those, 141 are in excellent condition because of a recent modernization grant. No units are expected to be lost through either demolition or conversion.

Section 8 housing administered by AHA provides 93 1-bedroom units to elderly people, 435 certificates, 295 vouchers, and 376 Mod-Rehab housing units that are owned by private developers. No tenant-based certificates or vouchers are currently unused; the housing authority would like to be able to distribute more Section 8 assistance.

The Non-Assisted Affordable Rental Housing Program provides 119 single-family and multifamily units to tenants—units that are owned by the housing authority with no Federal, State, or local subsidy involved. Income generated from the properties covers all operating expenses.

AHA has a qualified Section 8 and other assisted programs waiting list of 1,202 households. More than half of these households meet one or more of the Federal preferences for admission to rental assistance programs. The demand for housing assistance, especially certificates and vouchers, far exceeds the public and assisted housing supply.

Barriers to Affordable Housing

Public policies found to be barriers to affordable housing in Aurora include tax policies affecting land and other property, zoning ordinances, building codes, fees and charges, growth limits, and policies that affect returns on residential investment and directly affect the overall cost of housing or incentives to develop, maintain, or improve affordable housing. The city has adopted a strategy to ameliorate the negative effects of these policies that will be incorporated into the implementation of the Consolidated Plan.

Fair Housing

The city will provide an analysis of impediments to fair housing that will be designed to assure Aurora's compliance with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development rules.

Lead-Based Paint

Between 1950 and 1978, 58,490 housing units were built in Aurora. These units can be presumed at risk of containing lead-based paint. Aurora has access to competent contractors who provide on-site analysis in order to determine the existence, nature, severity, and location of lead-based paint on properties built before 1978. The city, through community development programs and outreach, will continue to ensure that private and nonprofit housing providers are aware of the 1992 Residential Lead-Based Paint Hazard Reduction Act and its implications.

Other Issues

Some populations have intensive supportive service needs in addition to housing needs. Almost 7 percent of the city's population is elderly with a projected housing need for 962 persons and a projected supported service needfor over 10,000. The mentally impaired have a projected housing need for 2,423 and a projected supportive service need for almost 9,000 persons. The projected housing need for victims of physical abuse, and substance abusers is 1,635, while the projected supportive service need is almost 10,000. The developmentally disabled population has a projected housing need of 457 and a projected supportive service need of 9,500. Those persons with AIDS or the HIV infection have a projected housing need of 500 and a supportive service need of just over 1,000.

Community Development Needs

The city identified a number of community development needs and put priorities on those needs. High priority needs include public facilities (senior centers, health facilities, and others); infrastructure (street improvements and sidewalk improvements); public services (for seniors, youth, and the handicapped); economic development (commercial-industrial rehabilitation); and other community development (code enforcement and planning).

Vision for Change

Aurora's Consolidated Plan constitutes a strategic vision for housing and community development in the city. Some of the city's goals include:

• Assisting with rehabilitation of existing single-family and multifamily housing units to provide decent housing for city residents and enhancing the stability of residential areas.
• Eliminating slum and blighting conditions or conditions that are detrimental to the public overall health, safety, and welfare by preserving and maintaining existing structures through code enforcement.
• Addressing negative social factors that contribute to deterioration of Aurora neighborhoods including the improvement of buildings and systems for coordinating and distributing community services.
• Alleviating physical and economic distress through stimulation of private investment and community revitalization along the Colfax corridor.
• Promoting homeownership among very low- and low-income households, and assisting with marketing in target neighborhoods to attract permanent residents when appropriate.
• Strengthening the overall sense of community identity by funding improvements for public facilities and promoting community involvement in neighborhood maintenance and self-help programs.
• Planning effectively for future expenditures of community development resources and seeking increased funding for projects which meet community development objectives.

Housing Priorities

The housing market analysis predicted a future market that will build primarily for middle- and upper-income households. Therefore, existing housing inventory will need to fill the housing affordability gap for households earning less than 80 percent of the MFI. The city has established the following priorities to bridge the affordability gap and take the most advantageous approach to the present economic situation:

• Provide maintenance improvements to 225 housing units annually by acquiring and rehabilitating publicly-owned housing stock, rehabilitating older owner-occupied single-family housing, rehabilitating older multifamily housing, and rehabilitating older owner-occupied properties needing emergency repair assistance, painting, or code violation correction.
• Provide homeownership opportunities for lower income first-time buyers and prevent at-risk homeowners from losing their homes through foreclosure. The city will assist 500 households a year with prepurchase counseling and mortgage counseling, 100 household per year with downpayment and closing cost assistance, 550 households per year with homeownership education, 125 household a year with foreclosure prevention assistance, 100 households a year with 30-year low-interest first mortgages, and 10 income-qualifying households per year with the purchase and rehabilitation of substandard housing.
• Provide rental assistance to 1,520 very low- and low-income households annually with existing public housing including 214 elderly one- and two- person households. It will provide additional rental assistance to 20 new households a year through public housing development programs.
• Provide emergency and transitional housing for the homeless, including families with children and special populations, with appropriate supportive facilities and services. It will participate in the Mentoring Denver Homeless Initiative. The city will assist 6,100 households a year with appropriate supportive facilities and services and either rehabilitate or construct 81 housing units for emergency or transitional housing.

Nonhousing Community Development Priorities

Aurora's high priority nonhousing objectives include the following:

• Renovation of senior citizens centers.
• Support of senior housing counseling.
• Improvements to streets and sidewalks.
• Support of senior, handicapped, and youth services.

Antipoverty Strategy

The average poverty threshold for a family of four people as tabulated by the 1990 census is $12,674. The city's goals, programs, and policies will coordinate housing programs to minimize poverty in households or to prevent certain households from moving into poverty income levels.

Adams County Social Services is working on a pilot program that puts a household on welfare and assists them with all of their housing and supportive service needs for a limited time, with the goal of promoting family self-sufficiency.

The city, along with other housing providers, needs to continue to pursue transitional housing. Currently, there is no transitional housing in Aurora. Emergency shelter cannot accommodate homeless households, families, or persons for long periods of time, which is what homeless providers claim is needed most in order to move someone toward independence and out of poverty status.

Housing and Community Development Resources

In addition to the $2,814,825 in entitlement grants, the city will receive between $75,000 and $175,00 a year from private lender donations, several million dollars in housing mortgage revenue bonds available to State residents each year, Community Reinvestment Act funds of about $50,000 a year, and funds from the Aurora Housing Authority. Various other funds will come from a variety of resources including a number of homeless agencies, the metropolitan Denver Homeless initiative, the Lowry Redevelopment Authority, Aurora Mental Health, and Hospice of Metro Denver.

Coordination of Strategic Plan

The Community Services Department, through two of its divisions, Community Development and Neighborhood Support, will implement various affordable housing programs. The Aurora Housing Authority will administer rent subsidy programs, public housing maintenance, and public housing development. A number of other agencies will be involved in different aspects of the plan. These include Aurora Mental Health, Aurora Housing Corporation, Developmental Pathways, Aurora Senior Center, Morning Star Senior Day Care, Elderly Housing Hotline, Comitis Crisis Center, Gateway Battered Women's Shelter, State of Colorado, Habitat for Humanity, Real Friends, Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation, Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Metrowide HOPWA, Colorado Housing Finance Authority, and various financial institutions.

Description of Key Projects

Aurora's action plan addresses the following priorities, in order of their importance:

• Provide maintenance improvement programs for existing housing stock, privately or publicly owned.
• Provide homeownership opportunities for first-time, very low- and low-income buyers as well as prevent those at- risk homeowners from losing their home through foreclosure.
• Rental assistance for very low- and low-income households.
• Provide emergency and transitional housing for the homeless, including families with children and special populations along with appropriate supportive facilities and services.

The following are the projects planned for 1995:

• Citywide Paint-Up/Fix-Up for exterior painting and gutter repairs ($15,000).
• Citywide residential investor loans for rental rehabilitation ($560,000).
• St. Croix Apartment Complex ($24,000).
• Beeler Street Mental Health Facility ($7,000).
• Rehabilitation of Comitis Crisis Center ($17,500).
• Renovation of Crawford Resource Center ($86,000).
• Integration of Visual and Performing Arts on Florence Street ($10,455).
• Integration of Visual and Performing Arts on Boston Street ($16,245).
• Renovation of Korean Senior Association on Boston Street ($30,000).
• Renovation of Korean Senior Association on Elmira Street ($20,500).
• Placement of bullet resistant glass in target areas ($30,000).
• Renovation of Morning Star senior day care ($10,000).
• Revolving loan program to finance storefront renovations ($35,000).
• Rehabilitation of battered women's shelter ($14,000).
• Summer Youth Program in target areas ($8,000).
• Payment to consultant for apartment management training ($40,000).
• Senior housing counseling program ($10,500).
• Self-sufficiency program for girls at select schools ($3,000).
• Parents As Teachers, parent training program ($20,000).
• Support for radio station providing print access for the blind ($7,500).
• Historic renovation of Centennial House on Galena Street ($7,000).
• Colfax main street improvements ($57,000 and $12,500).
• Expansion and paving of medical facility parking area ($22,500).
• Fencing and site improvements in target areas ($9,500).
• Transportation study (ISTEA grant matching funds) ($35,000).
• Mini-grant program for target neighborhood improvements ($15,000).
• Homeownership Assistance Program ($200,000).
• Citywide educational seminars on homeownership ($6,000).
• Neighborhood Support Team planner and code enforcer salaries ($230,648).
• Citywide study of impediments to fair housing choice ($8,500).
• Salaries for housing counselors ($227,900).
• Northwest Aurora Library book purchases ($36,000).
• HOME Program single family housing rehabilitation ($507,000).
• Aurora primary and secondary entry way ($32,000).
• Unprogrammed funds ($21,211).
• Program(s) administration (679,600).

Lead Agencies

The Community Services Department and the Aurora Housing Authority are the chief public institutions that will administer housing programs throughout the city.